Senior Prof. J. Jeyakanthan Ph. D., D.Sc
Vice-Chancellor i/c

Dr. J. Jeyakanthan is the Vice-Chancellor Officiating of Alagappa University and the Senior Professor and Head of the Department of Bioinformatics. He has over 32 years of experience in higher education, research and academic administration. Throughout his career, he has contributed to teaching, scientific research, institutional development, quality assurance and academic governance at national and international levels.

His academic work has been primarily in Bioinformatics, structural biology and drug discovery. He has led 26 research projects and served as Principal Investigator for 12 student research projects funded by national and international agencies, with a total funding of ₹2,168.34 lakhs. His research contributions include 276 peer-reviewed publications, with 4,959 citations, an Hindex of 35 and an i10-index of 118. He has also contributed three patents, 23 book chapters and one book, besides 153 protein structure depositions and 224 GenBank submissions.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has developed 14 open-access protein structure databases and web servers for the wider scientific community, particularly in drug discovery. He has delivered more than 235 presentations at national and international conferences, served as an editor or reviewer for more than 23 SCI journals, and acted as an external examiner for 52 doctoral theses from universities and institutions in India and abroad.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has successfully obtained and coordinated research projects supported by major national and international funding agencies. His research portfolio includes MoE-STARS funding of ₹91 lakhs, DST Indo-Taiwan Collaboration funding of ₹73.72 lakhs, 10 DBT projects amounting to ₹8.15 crores, four DST projects amounting to ₹2.10 crores, five ICMR projects amounting to ₹1.39 crores and TANSCHE projects amounting to ₹29.80 lakhs.

He has also contributed to major institutional research and development programmes supported through DST-PURSE, DST-FIST, the UGC Innovative Programme, DBT-BIC and NNP, and MoE-RUSA 1.0 and 2.0. His involvement in these initiatives has supported the strengthening of research infrastructure, academic programmes and institutional capacity.

His international research engagement includes a grant of USD 64,221 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA), reflecting his engagement with international scientific research and collaboration.

Dr. Jeyakanthan's contributions to science and research have received recognition from professional and academic organisations in India and abroad. In 2025, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), UK, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), UK.

His other recognitions include the Senior Scientist Award from the Academy of Sciences in 2024, the Tamil Nadu Scientist Award (TANSA) in 2020, the UGC Researcher Award in 2016 and Fellowship of the Academy of Sciences, Chennai (FASCh), in 2015. He has also been selected for several Ministry of Education programmes for academic leaders.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has placed considerable importance on mentoring young researchers. He has successfully supervised 20 Ph.D. scholars and is currently guiding five Ph.D. scholars and nine Post-Doctoral Fellows.

He has encouraged research scholars and faculty members to participate in collaborative research and gain exposure to leading research institutions in India and abroad. These collaborations have provided opportunities for scholars to undertake research visits to countries including the USA, UK, Taiwan and Japan, and to institutions such as IISc, AIIMS Delhi and Sankara Nethralaya Vision and Research Foundation, Chennai.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has participated in academic and research activities in more than 15 countries, including the USA, UK, Australia, Japan, Germany, Italy and Singapore. He has served as a Visiting Professor and Visiting Scientist at higher education and research institutions and has contributed to academic and research activities in Bioinformatics and related interdisciplinary areas.

He has facilitated 21 national and international MoUs for joint research, faculty exchange and academic collaboration. These partnerships have supported research networking, academic exchange and opportunities for students and scholars to work with institutions in India and abroad

Dr. Jeyakanthan has served as Chairman, Director and Member of several academic and curriculum development committees and has contributed to academic planning and programme development.

He has organised 12 national conference-cum-workshops and four international conferences focusing on drug discovery and related areas. These programmes received special funding of ₹55.13 lakhs and provided opportunities for researchers, faculty members and students to exchange knowledge and develop collaborative research networks.

He has also worked with experts from TANSCHE, UGC and other academic bodies in curriculum revision and updating academic programmes in response to emerging areas of knowledge and changing educational requirements.

Institution building and quality improvement have been important aspects of Dr. Jeyakanthan's administrative responsibilities. He has served as Director and Nodal Officer for national ranking initiatives including AURC, TANSURF and NIRF.

He has contributed to institutional quality enhancement through the 2nd, 3rd and 4th NAAC accreditation cycles, during which the institution achieved A with a CGPA of 3.21, A+ with a CGPA of 3.64 and A++ with a CGPA of 3.59 under Dual Mode, respectively.

He has also contributed to major institutional initiatives associated with DST-PURSE, DST-FIST, the UGC Innovative Programme, DBT-BIC and NNP, and MoE-RUSA 1.0 and 2.0, including initiatives connected with the Institution of Eminence.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has served as a Member and Chairperson of NAAC Peer Teams and has participated in the assessment of universities and higher education institutions at the national and state levels

This experience has provided him with a broad understanding of academic quality, institutional governance, accreditation processes and continuous improvement in higher education.

Dr. Jeyakanthan has served on important academic and governing bodies, including the Syndicate and Senate. He has twice been nominated by the Hon'ble Governor of Tamil Nadu to the Syndicate.

He has also served on higher education committees dealing with academic policy, curriculum development, strategic planning and quality assurance, contributing to higher education policy and institutional decision-making.

Under his academic leadership, the departments and academic units with which he has been associated have secured cumulative funding of ₹2,681.7 lakhs for research infrastructure and development.

These efforts have contributed to more than 800 research publications, 59 book chapters, approximately 14,000 citations and an overall H-index of 50. They have also helped strengthen research facilities, academic networks and opportunities for students, scholars and faculty members to participate in collaborative research.

Dr. Jeyakanthan's experience brings together research, teaching, academic administration, quality assurance and institutional development. His approach to academic leadership places importance on academic integrity, research and innovation, effective governance, collaboration and continuous improvement.

As Vice-Chancellor Officiating, he is committed to strengthening Alagappa University as a centre of excellence in teaching, research and innovation. His focus is on creating a supportive academic environment for students and faculty, encouraging meaningful research collaborations, strengthening institutional systems and responding effectively to the changing needs of higher education and society.

His vision is to build on the University's existing strengths while creating new opportunities for academic growth, research, innovation, international collaboration and societal engagement. Through collective effort and responsible leadership, he seeks to contribute to the continued development of Alagappa University as a strong, inclusive and globally connected institution of higher learning.

Detailed CV